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    <h1>
        Laos Traveller - About Us</h1>
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    <br />
    <h1>
        Why this site?
    </h1>
    <br />
    <p>
        <i>Why?</i></p>
    <br />
    <p>
        The site is here to help travellers in Laos. Laos is a wonderful place to visit:
        much scenery, mountains, waterfalls, caves, culture and temples to see; and the
        people are great!
    </p>
    <br />
    <br />
    <h1>
        Why bother?
    </h1>
    <br />
    <p>
        <i>There are many good travel books (Lonely planet, Footprint Laos, etc.) And every
            hotel has a web site... are you just a “me too?”</i><br />
    </p>
    <br />
    <p>
        Start lifting up stones in Laos, and you’ll uncover all sorts of annoyances for
        the traveller. (Don’t do that literally, you probably find an annoyed scorpion!)<br />
        <br />
        We aim to be the basis of all Laos travelling information, providing up to date
        bus timetables, boat schedules, trains, flights, hotels, guesthouses etc.</p>
    <br />
    <br />
    <h1>
        Timetables?</h1>
    <br />
    <p>
        <i>Timetables - that&#39;s not a very Lao concept!</i></p>
    <br />
    <p>
        Although timetables in Laos are not very accurate, we believe the county is getting
        better in following daily timetable schedules. Busses leave and arrive at their
        expected times. Sometimes this can be be hard to archive because of road conditions
        and mother nature (rain, landslides) and accidents.
        <br />
        <br />
        Despite all the above if there are no disruptions on the roads buses and vans have
        been known to arrive on schedule. &nbsp;</p>
    <br />
        <br />
    <h1>
        Maps</h1>
    <br />
    <p>
        Mapping is poor in Laos. We use Google maps on this web site, but many roads are
        missing.
        <br />
        <br />
        We have students adding their own mapping data. (Select “Traveller” on the map pages
        to see our roads.) Place names are, er, somewhat inconsistent. Take the former capital
        city in the north of Laos. That’s Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang, or ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ.
        (Romanisation depends on the speaker’s language – French, English.)
        <br />
        <br />
        Our site links you easily between a description of place (using any spelling), the
        facilities (Hotels, Guesthouses, Restaurants) at that place, where that place is
        on a map, how to get to that place, and issues getting to that place now. (That’s
        immediate information, with hyperlinks – you can’t do that with printed books.)</p>
    <br />
    <br />
    <h1>
        Real time information?
    </h1>
    <br />
    <p>
        This is something at odds with the ways things are done in Laos. (See the KPL news
        agency, Vientiane Times... ) We’re talking to the Laos Ministry of Information and
        Culture; and the Department of Publishing, Printing, Distribution and Libraries;
        and the Department of Mass Media. <br /><br />We are hoping to generate as much data as possible
        with the Laos government, the local bus companies, and local businesses to help
        aid the maps. We also hope to work with tourists travelling in Laos to update us
        on the road conditions where they travel, by means of text messages and emails.</p>
    <br />
    <br />
    <h1>
        Who are you?
    </h1>
      <br />
    <p>
        <i>The Lao Government will only deal with Lao people! How are you organised?</i></p>
    <br />    
    <p>
        The Laos Traveller web site is managed by Mr. Spencer, the founder and owner. The
        development team includes Spencer Mabanga, Nick Hubbard a software architect based
        in England. We have 4 Lao students who are currently under training. We are equipping
        them with computing skills to look after the site and carry out the daily administration
        duties. When the students graduate in 2013, they will have a company that’s
        an alternative to harvesting rice!!</p>
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